Reversible pushing-type separation tool for use particularly with an ice-making vending machine

ABSTRACT

A reversible, pushing-type separation tool for use, for example, in an ice-making vending machine for removing the internal auger from the refrigerator cylinder of the ice-making mechanism. The tool comprises a pushing ram shaft threaded through a short, solid cylindrical anchor block which is easily attached to one end of the refrigerator cylinder by means of a three piece split, flange clamp locking sleeve and, alternately, to the other end with bolts for reversability. The threaded ram shaft is screwed through the solid anchor block attached to the refrigerator cylinder, either directly or through a solid ram block, against the end of the auger, thereby providing mechanical means that will enable a repairman to easily and quickly remove the auger and/or the bearing system from the refrigerated cylinder; as opposed to the hammer and chisel or sledge hammer, brute force technique of the prior art.

United States Patent 9] Phillips, Sr.

[ REVERSIBLE PUSHING-TYPE SEPARATION TOOL FOR USE PARTICULARLY WITH AN ICE- MAKING VENDING MACHINE [76] Inventor: Ernest L. Phillips, Sr., 107 West Cumberland, Poplarville, Miss. 39470 22] Filed: June 9, 1972 [21] Appl. No; 261,357

[52] US. Cl ..29/427, 29/264 [58] Field of Search ..29/256, 259, 263,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,435,278 11/1922 1 Campbell ..29/263 3,146,522 9/1964 Wright r ..29/256 3,408,724 11/1968 Hoeijenbos ..29/263 [111 3,727,293 [451 Apr. 17, 1973 Primary Examiner-Granville Y. Custer, Jr. Assistant ExaminerJ. CtPeters Attorney-C. Emmett Pugh et al.

ABSTRACT A reversible, pushing-type separation tool for use, for example, in an ice-making vending machine for removing the internal auger from the refrigerator cylinder of the ice-making mechanism. The tool comprises a pushing ram shaft threaded through a short, solid cylindrical anchor block which is easily attached to one end of the refrigerator cylinder by means of a three piece split, flange clamp locking sleeve and, al ternately, to the other end with bolts for reversability. The threaded ram shaft is screwed throughthe solid anchor block attached to the refrigerator cylinder, either directly or through a solid ram block, against the end of the auger, thereby providing mechanical means that will enable a repairman to easily and quickly remove the auger and/or the bearing system from the refrigerated cylinder; as opposed to the hammer and chisel or sledge hammer, brute force technique of the prior art.

4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAYR 1 11915 3.727. 293

SHEET 1 BF 4 M gi I IMH FLHHH EEEUWwwg PATENTED APR 1 H975 sum 2 or 4 PATENTED 1 7 1375 3. 727, 293

SHEET 3 [IF 4 [I i I MMW I... V -v u x I w W A a n u n u r m 8 3 n w m w I l W Q A mmvdfi l u E /14w! w BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a mechanical, reversible, pushing-type separation tool-for use particularly in removing the internal auger from the refrigerator cylinder of the ice-making portion of a vending machine. The present invention has for its basic object the provision of a novel screw pushing device adapted to be engaged with either end of the ice-making cylinder wall of the refrigerated cylinder and the internal, central auger, whereby the proper quantity of pressure or combination of pressures may be used for the purpose of releasing the close engagement of the refrigerated cylinder with the auger so that the auger and its ancillary bearings, etc., can be easily and quickly removed and replaced.

The food service and supply industry, as it attempts to satisfy the needs and wants of todays public who are ever increasing their demands for faster, finer and less expensive foods, has developed various automatic vending machines having an ice-making capatibility. However, the complexity of these new mechanisms requires tight control over the over-all costs of the machine to make them economically feasible and competitive. Such factors as serviceability, dependability, maintenance requirements and operational cost all must be considered and weighed very carefully against the increased expected market for the cold drinks that will result because of this type of mechanism.

In contemplation of the serviceability aspect, the present invention plays an important part with respect to the ice-making type of cold drink machine, which is the mostused type of vending machine today.

The ice-making mechanism of the vending machines now on the market works by injecting water into a refrigerated cylinder. The interior walls of this refrigerator cylinder are kept below 212 Fahrenheit by conventional refrigeration/heat transfer methods. When the water comes into contact with the wall of the cylinder, ice forms on the wall. In order to remove the ice formation, an Archimedes-type screw in the form of an internal, central auger is continuously turned, thereby forcing the ice off the walls of the cylinder and moving it out of the cylinder. Once out of the cylinder the ice is deposited in a refrigerated reservoir from which it will later be automatically dispensed into the container for the drink as needed. The auger is a key element in the production of ice in these machines.

Necessarily, the tolerance, that is, the space between the auger and the cylinder, must be dept to a very close minimum for a number of reasons. In particular, any ice remaining on the refrigerated cylinder wall acts as an insulator and retards further formation of ice or ice buildup. This insulation characteristic of ice is exponentially proportional to the thickness of the ice. As a result, as the ice becomes thicker on the wall of the cylinder, the cooling work required to form a like quanity of ice is greatly increased. Therefore, in order to keep the cooling requirements of the refrigeration unit to a minimum, keeping operational costs down, it

is necessary to maintain the least amount of distance refrigerator cylinder wall. Any physical contact between the wall and the auger would result in a wearing action which would be much more costly in replacement and repair.

A basic problem that develops at these temperatures with these close tolerances is the expansion and contraction of the cylinder or auger with respect to each other. The materials from which these particular parts of the ice-making machine are made determine the coefficient of expansion of these two parts of the machine. Problems of expansion are particularly acute since the ice maker is an on/off type of mechanism; that is, it must be started up upon a signal that ice is needed to furnish a customer a cold drink. This continual on/off type of mechanism has deterious effects on the auger and changes the internal molecular structure of the material from which it is made to such an extent that it deviates from its original coefficient of expansion. Design engineers have been unable to pin down the expansion characteristics of any type of metal under this continual hot and cold treatment over a long period of time. The ability of the auger to retain its original shape continually decreases as the use increases. At some point along the line, the original shape has changed to such an extent that the auger starts to bind against the cylinder wall or causes a disalignment with the bearings supporting the auger, thereby making it necessary to replace the bearings and sometimes the auger.

Other deterioration which occurs internal to the icemaking machine is corrosion which is accelerated by the use of various types of metals in contact with water. This type of corrosion is termed electrolysis corrosion, and it manifests itself when two different materials are emersed within an electrically conducting fluid like natural water.

When one of the above types of damage occurs interna] to the ice making machine, the industry is faced with the problem of removing the auger and bearings and replacing one or the other or both, depending on the particular kind of damage.

Heretofore, to remove the auger and/or the bearings, servicemen had to completely take the ice-making apparatus out of the vending machine and, either on-site or more usually back at the repair shop, effect the separation of the parts of the machine by brute, physi cal force with the use of a hammer and chisel. Such a primitive approach, which is widespread in the field today, resulted in increased downtime of the vending machine, greater damage to the parts themselves and much greater over-all service and repair costs. In contrast, the present invention has been developed to effectuate an easy removal of the auger and bearings from the internal refrigerated cylinder of the ice-making machine, on site and in most cases with the basic ice-making mechanism still in the vending machine.

The present invention substantially lowers the maintenance cost and/or cost of repair to the ice-making mechanism of the vending machines, thereby enhancing the operating economics of the ice-making vending machines, placing them in a greater competitive position with respect to other vending machines offered on the market today.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded, perspective view, showing the elements of the separation tool used for ice-making, vending machines.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the separation tool of FIG. 1 in assembled condition.

FIG. 3 is a side view, partially in cross-section, of a typical ice-making apparatus used in a vending machine.

FIG. 4 is a side, cross-sectional view of the ice-making apparatus of FIG. 3 with the motor and gear box removed and the separation tool attached to the bottom of the ice-making portion of vending machine.

FIG. 5 is a side, cross-sectional view of the separation tool pushing the internal auger of the ice-making apparatus out of the cylindrical refrigerator housing.

FIG. 6 is a side, cross-sectional view showing the alternative use of the separation tool and illustrating the positioning of the tool at the top of the refrigerator housing.

FIG. 7 is a side, cross-sectional view of the separation tool installed at the top of the ice-making housing and extended fully to exert pressure upon the bearings to be removed from the bottom of the ice-making apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A typical and indeed the most common ice-making system for cold drink vending machines on the market today is the Reynolds ice-maker, the ice-making apparatus of which is shown in FIG. 3. For purposes of illustration only, the tool of the present invention will be described as used in removing the internal auger of the Reynolds machine. However it should be understood that the present invention is likewise applicable to other types of ice makers and indeed, with obvious modifications, to some other types of devices for separating or removing an inner element from an outer casing.

The Reynolds ice-making machine of FIG. 3 is powered by a motor 12 through a gear reduction and power transmission device which is attached from the electric motor 12 to the flange 15 located on the bottom of the refrigerated cylinder 16. Cooling fluid coils surround the refrigerated cylinder 16 (note the dashed lines) and have appropriate inlet and outlets (not shown) for circulating a cooling medium. Water is injected into the ice-making machine at the lower right hand base of the auger 13. Ice is formed within the refrigerated cylinder 16 and on the outside of the auger 13. The turning of the archimedes-screw type auger 13 moves the ice up through the cylinder 16 to the cutter and extruder head 18 and into the hopper where it is kept agitated by the rotating agitator assembly 23. Appropriate sealing and ball bearing means 21 and 22 respectively, are included at the lower end of the auger 13. The electrical element at the top-most portion of FIG. 3 is a cover for the ice-making hopper and includes an ice-level control device.

As shown in the drawing, particularly FIGS. 1 and 2, the preferred embodiment of the present invention consists of five basic parts: a short cylindrical anchor block 1; a threaded ram shaft 2; a ramblock 3; two identical split, flanged anchor clamps 4, 4'; and a clamp ring 5.

The short cylindrical anchor block 1 is machined from cast hardened aluminum and is machined turned to a diameter which is a few thousandths of an inch less than the inside diameter of the refrigerated stainless steel cylinder 16 of the Reynolds ice maker. The short anchor block 1 is equipped with three equally spaced screw holes peripherally located about the short cylinder block, the diameter of which is 5/ l6ths. of an inch and which coincides with the same diameter and spacing as the screw holes used to hold the extruder head 18 onto the refrigerated stainless steel cylinder 16 in the Reynolds ice maker. The screw holes 6 and 7 are illustrated in FIG. I.

A female threaded hole 8 through the center of the short anchor block 1 is provided to accommodate the threaded ram shaft 2. The threaded ram shaft 2 is fourteen inches long and is threaded from head to end. The head is supplied with a three-quarter inch hexagonal, conventional type bolt head. The opposite end of the threaded ram shaft 2 is machined to a rounded point. The threads on the threaded ram shaft 2 and short anchor block 1 are machined at 16 threads per inch which is greater than the usual threading and gives a much greater mechanical advantage to the tool.

The ram block 3 is made of case hardened aluminum with a centered, beveled-edge indentation which will accommodate the pointed end of the threaded ram shaft 2. The diameter of the ram block 3 is equal to the short anchor block 1 which, as noted above, is a few thousandths of an inch less than the inside diameter of the refrigerated cylinder wall 16 of the Reynolds" ice maker. I

The split anchor clamps 4, 4 are also made of case hardened aluminum and are designed to lock in and hold the short anchor block 1 by coupling with it by means of tongue flange 9 fitting into groove 10. Another groove 11 is provided in the split anchor clamps 4, 4' to accommodate the lower flange block 15 of the Reynolds ice maker. The ring clamp 5 is supplied to lock the anchor clamps 4, 4 securely to the short anchor block 1, although sometimes it may not be absolutely needed if the fit between the tongue 9 and groove 10 is tight enough to create a frictional grip. The ring clamp 5 is equipped with Allen headed, set screws l4, 14' to secure the ring clamp 5 in place, should it be used in an upright position or in any other position that would allow the ring clamp 5 to slip off of the split anchor clamps 4, 4'.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the tool of the present invention can be used to remove the auger 13 from the cylindrical housing 16 in the following manner. The motor 12 and drive transmission system and the level regulating reservoir top system are first removed from the ice maker, exposing the lower and upper extremities of the auger element 13, the flange block 15 and extruder head 18.

The short anchor block 1 is attached by tongue 9 and groove 10 to the split anchor clamps 4, 4'. The opposite ends of the split end clamps 4, 4' are attached to the flange 15 by circular groove 11. The anchor ring clamp 5 is locked into position with set screws 14, 14'.

.The flange block 15 extends up into the refrigerated cylinder wall 16 and is physically attached by screws 17, 17' and 17", equally spaced about the periphery of the refrigerated cylinder 16. Also, due to corrosion and electrical inner action between the flange block 15 and the refrigerated cylinder 16, the flange block is securely held within the cylinder wall 16 upon removal of the extruder head bolts 19, 19' and 19" located on the periphery of the cylinder 16 at the opposite end from flange block 15. The threaded ram shaft 2 can be screwed into the short cylinder block 1 until contact is made between the shaft 2 and the auger 13, as illustrated in FIG. 4.

By mechanically turning the hexagonal head of the threaded shaft 2, the desired quality of pressure is placed on the auger to overcome its frictional hold to the cylinder wall 16. The separation of parts usually occurs between the ceramic vaporator seal 21 and the bearing 22, as illustrated in FIG. 5. However, it should be noted that the bearing 22 could possibly go out with the auger 13, leaving only flange block 15 in the cylinder 16. Upon removal of the auger 13, the split anchor clamps 4, 4' are unlatched from the flange 15 by removal of the ring clamp 5 and then the anchor clamps 4, 4' are removed from the short cylindrical block 1.

If the bearings 22 remained in the cylindrical housing 16, the short cylinder block 1 is placed in the opposite end of the refrigerated cylinder 16, as illustrated in FIG. 6, in the exact location from which the extruder head 18 was removed. The extruder head bolts 19, 19 and 19" are replaced into their equally spaced peripherally located holes in the cylinder wall 16 which match up with the equally spaced peripherally located threaded holes 6 and 7 in the short cylindrical block 1.

Previous to this step, the ram block 3 should be positioned at the bottom of the cylinder 16 against the upper, inner face of the bottom element in the cylindrical housing 16 which bottom will be or at least include flange block 15. It is noted that regardless of whether the seal 21 and/or bearing 22 went out with the auger 13 or stayed with flange block 15 is superfluous to the operation of removing the auger 13 and the flange block 15 from the cylinder wall 16. The ram block 3 should be placed with the indentation or countersunked center up so that the pointed end of the threaded ram shaft 2 can mate with this indentation.

Once the short cylindrical block 1 is located at the top of the cylinder 16.and the threaded ram shaft 2 has been screwed through the short cylindrical block 1 and the pointed end matched up with the ram block 3, any further screwing of the ram shaft 2 will assert mechanical pressure on the flange block 15, thereby effectuating its physical removal from the cylinder 16, as illustrated in FIG. 7.

As best shown in FIG. 2, all the elements nest perfectly together, producing an esthetically pleasing and compact structure.

It should be noted that the above-described tool, although specifically designed to remove the auger from the Reynolds ice-making machine Models LM7S5, LM4S5, M1785 and LI-I4S5, can also be used to remove the internal elements of any other such equipment. .Variations in the method of attaching the tool to the implement to be separated may vary according to the type of flanging device that such implements have for attachment to their power source. These variations may include screwing the flange into the face of the tool or possibly using a set of lock screws peripherally located around a much larger cylinder which would enclose the lower part of the particular apparatus, which, when the screws were set in, would make a firm attachment of the tool to the outer piece of the equipment from which the internals were to be removed. Another exemplary modification would be to use anchoring or clamping elements of a triangular exterior configuration rather than circular, depending on the configuration of the device to which the tool of the present invention is to be attached.

Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within the scope of the inventive concept herein taught, and because many modifications may be made in the embodiments herein detailed in accordance with the descriptive requirements of the law, it is to be understood that the details herein are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed as invention is:

1. A reversible pushing-type separation tool for use, for example, in removing a difficu'lt-to-remove internal element from a cylindrical housing having screw holes at one end and a flange block at the other comprising:

an extended, threaded ram shaft having a length greater than the longitudinal length of the cylindrical housing;

a short inner cylindrical anchoring block of a diameter less than but substantially equal to the diameter of the cylindrical housing having a threaded female aperture therethrough for mating with said ram shaft and further having anchoring apertures in its outer cylindrical surface spaced to coincide with at least some of the screw holes in the cylindrical housing and having mechanical interlocking means at its exterior end; and

a split setof easily removeable anchor clamps having on its inner surface two sets of mechanical interlocking means, a first set including a groove for mating with the flange of the flange block of the cylindrical housing and the second set for mechanically interconnecting with said interconnecting means on said anchor block; whereby said anchor block can be connected at either end of the cylindrical housing, said anchoring apertures serving to connect it at the screw hole end and said split set of anchoring clamps serving to connect it at the flange block end.

2. The tool of claim 1 wherein said split set of anchor clamps includes a continuous indented portion on their exterior surface and wherein there is further included a continuous anchor sleeve means for fitting around said split set and holding them together. I

3. The tool of claim 1 wherein. there is furtherincluded a cylindrical ram block which mates with the tip of said ram shaft and substantially extends its facing, working area, the diameter of said :ram block being less than but substantially equal to the diameter of the cylindrical housing.

4. The method of removing a difficult-to-remove internal element from acylindrical housing having screw holes at one end and a flange block at the other comprising the steps of:

a. providing a reversible pushing-type separation tool comprising an extended, threaded ram shaft having a length greater than the longitudinal length of the cylindrical housing; a short inner cylindrical anchoring block of a diameter less than butsubstantially equal to the diameter of the cylindrical housing having a threaded female aperture therethrough for mating with said ram shaft and further having anchoring apertures in its outer cylindrical surface spaced to coincide with at least some of the screw holes in the cylindrical housing and having mechanical interlocking means at its exterior end; and a split set of easily removeable anchor clamps having on its inner surface two sets of mechanical interlocking means, a first set including a groove for mating with the flange of the flange block of the cylindrical housing and the second set for mechanically interconnecting with said interconnecting means on said anchor block; whereby said anchor block can be connected at either end of the cylindrical housing, said anchoring apertures serving to connect it at the screw hole end and said split set of anchoring clamps serving to connect it at the flange block end;

b. attaching said anchoring block to the end of the cylindrical housing having the flange block by detaching said anchor block and repositioning it at the other end of the cylindrical housing so that its anchoring apertures are located in juxtaposition to said screw holes and mechanically interconnecting said screw holes and said anchoring apertures; and

. screwing said ram shaft through said anchored anchor block after placing a ram block in front of the tip of said ram shaft, driving out any additional material which may have been left in the cylindrical housing after the internal element was removed. 

1. A reversible pushing-type separation tool for use, for example, in removing a difficult-to-remove internal element from a cylindrical housing having screw holes at one end and a flange block at the other comprising: an extended, threaded ram shaft having a length greater than the longitudinal length of the cylindrical housing; a short inner cylindrical anchoring block of a diameter less than but substantially equal to the diameter of the cylindrical housing having a threaded female aperture therethrough for mating with said ram shaft and further having anchoring apertures in its outer cylindrical surface spaced to coincide with at least some of the screw holes in the cylindrical housing and having mechanical interlocking means at its exterior end; and a split set of easily removeable anchor clamps having on its inner surface two sets of mechanical interlocking means, a first set including a groove for mating with the flange of the flange block of the cylindrical housing and the second set for mechanically interconnecting with said interconnecting means on said anchor block; whereby said ancHor block can be connected at either end of the cylindrical housing, said anchoring apertures serving to connect it at the screw hole end and said split set of anchoring clamps serving to connect it at the flange block end.
 2. The tool of claim 1 wherein said split set of anchor clamps includes a continuous indented portion on their exterior surface and wherein there is further included a continuous anchor sleeve means for fitting around said split set and holding them together.
 3. The tool of claim 1 wherein there is further included a cylindrical ram block which mates with the tip of said ram shaft and substantially extends its facing, working area, the diameter of said ram block being less than but substantially equal to the diameter of the cylindrical housing.
 4. The method of removing a difficult-to-remove internal element from a cylindrical housing having screw holes at one end and a flange block at the other comprising the steps of: a. providing a reversible pushing-type separation tool comprising an extended, threaded ram shaft having a length greater than the longitudinal length of the cylindrical housing; a short inner cylindrical anchoring block of a diameter less than but substantially equal to the diameter of the cylindrical housing having a threaded female aperture therethrough for mating with said ram shaft and further having anchoring apertures in its outer cylindrical surface spaced to coincide with at least some of the screw holes in the cylindrical housing and having mechanical interlocking means at its exterior end; and a split set of easily removeable anchor clamps having on its inner surface two sets of mechanical interlocking means, a first set including a groove for mating with the flange of the flange block of the cylindrical housing and the second set for mechanically interconnecting with said interconnecting means on said anchor block; whereby said anchor block can be connected at either end of the cylindrical housing, said anchoring apertures serving to connect it at the screw hole end and said split set of anchoring clamps serving to connect it at the flange block end; b. attaching said anchoring block to the end of the cylindrical housing having the flange block by placing said anchor clamps about and mating with the flange of said flange block and said anchor block, mechanically interconnecting them; c. screwing said ram shaft through said anchored anchor block against the internal element until it is driven out of the cylindrical housing; d. detaching said anchor block and repositioning it at the other end of the cylindrical housing so that its anchoring apertures are located in juxtaposition to said screw holes and mechanically interconnecting said screw holes and said anchoring apertures; and e. screwing said ram shaft through said anchored anchor block after placing a ram block in front of the tip of said ram shaft, driving out any additional material which may have been left in the cylindrical housing after the internal element was removed. 